Smoothly Sailing
by xXx-InsaneAsylum-xXx
Summary: Here I am, in my final hour, waiting for someone, anyone, to save me. Sigh. Maybe it would be easier if I told you my story from the beginning? Yes, it would be indeed. Let me tell you how it started, let me tell you my story.
1. It All Started on Destiny Islands

Okay! I am finally able to put up this fanfiction, and I am happy! Anyways, onto story business! I know, this chapter is kind of...odd. But! Not to worry, the second chapter is much better! And please, I know that I am not the greatest writer, so don't review telling me that I suck at writing. I would appreciate some good criticism, though.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts, or any of Square Enix or Disney's characters. I do, though, own my fanmade character, Naomi.

* * *

Maybe it was destiny that failed on me. Maybe it was fate. If you one of those people who doesn't believe in destiny, you'd probably think I only failed myself.

And even though I do believe in destiny, I think the case was that I really **_did _**fail myself. Though, whatever it was, I was still unhappy.

So here I am, alone and bleeding to death, on the floor of Hollow Bastion. Will Sora come to save me? No. Will Riku? No. Hell, I'd even be grateful if **_Kairi_** came to save me, but no. I'm alone and desperate, yet no one is coming to save me.

Sigh. I guess it would be best to start from the beginning. I mean, to tell you what's happened to me and all. You're probably pretty confused by now, anyways.

_I guess it all started on Destiny Island_…

* * *

The early morning sun blared in my eyes as I rolled onto my right side. I slowly opened one eye and stared at the rays of the sun coming through the blinds of the window. Where was I? I had not a clue. 

"You a'ight?" I heard a male's voice ask me. I turned my head slightly to the side, only to be greeted by a boy with tan skin, and freaky orange hair.

"Cool hair, man," I mumbled as I sat up. He chuckled at my comment. I looked at my surroundings, trying to take it all in. _'Where am I?'_ I thought. I blinked a few times, before thinking, _'Who am I, even?'_

I spotted a small mirror hanging on the wall. I saw myself and the orange haired boy in the mirror. Well, part of the boy, seeing as he was behind me and part of his face was hiding behind my shoulder.

I looked at myself, trying to memorize every detail of myself. _'Long, straight platinum blonde hair, deep emerald green eyes, full lips,'_ I thought to myself.

It was around that time that I noticed that me and the boy were about the same age, eight or nine. "Where am I?" I asked him in a hoarse voice. "Destiny Island," he replied with a big grin on his face, "The name's Wakka."

At that moment, my eyes widened. _'What's my name? Name, what's my name!' _I thought frantically. _'Come on, it's coming…Neo…Nao, Naomi. Naomi! That's it!'_ "My name is Naomi," I said politely, yet showing no emotion.

"By the way, how did I end up here?" I asked. His face fell slightly. "Sorry, not a clue," he answered, "but you can ask Riku. He's the kid who found you. Do you remember?" I shook my head slowly, all the while trying to remember anything about my past.

"Well, why are you here?" I asked again. He smiled, replying, "Riku had to leave, and he wanted me to watch over you for a while." I finally smiled. _'Someone actually cares about me.'_

"You didn't have to do that," I told Wakka while sliding my covers off of me. I walked over to the mirror and tried to get a better look at my appearance. My long platinum blonde hair had thin black streaks going through it. My bottom lip seemed split in the middle, as though I had been in a fight. But the weirdest things were my eyes. They were a brownish green around my pupils, and green around the edges. The very edges of my eyes were a deep forest green, and I had gold specks all throughout my eyes.

I then looked down at my feet. I seemed pretty tall for my age. I also noticed that I was wearing a hospital gown. _'This Riku guy must have taken me here to see if I was okay.'_ But, I then cringed, thinking that someone must have changed me out of my clothing. Now, if I were older, I probably would have thought, _'Holy crap! If a guy undressed me, then he's a pervert!' _but since I was only about eight, I thought, _'Eeeeew!'_

Wakka got up and walked over to me. He was taller than me by a few inches, but not much. "So, you healthy enough to tell the doctors that you don't need to stay in here any longer?" he asked in his funny accent. _'So that proves it, I really am in a hospital.'_ I nodded, and Wakka smiled. He ran out of the room for a moment. I heard him talking to a nurse through the door.

I sat on my hospital bed and sighed. _'How come I can't remember anything about my past? Everything's a blur to me,'_ I thought sadly. Wakka soon walked back in, holding what I guessed were my clothes. I grabbed them, and motioned for Wakka to turn around.

I slowly put on my clothes; a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a black satin ribbon that I just decided to tie around my neck. I looked at myself in the mirror from earlier, and noticed that everything that I was wearing was black.

"Can I turn around yet?" Wakka whined as I giggled. "You girls take too long to get dressed," he complained. I just smirked at his back, and walked out the door.

* * *

I guess what you could say about my feelings for the island was love at first sight, because the second I set foot outside the hospital, I felt completely at home (where ever home really was). 

The only odd thing was that my clothing color scheme clashed terribly with the people of the island. Hell, my color scheme clashed with the island itself! Everything was all bright and bubbly. Girls wore light pink and yellow, guys wore sky blue and bright red. But me, I wore black, and nothing else.

After a few minutes of walking, I heard Wakka yell, "Yo', Tidus, Sora!" Two boys a little younger than me walked up to us. One with spiky blonde hair, and the other with spiky brown hair that seemed to defy gravity. "Yo', Wakka" I heard the blonde one say. "Naomi, meet Tidus," said Wakka, motioning towards the blonde one, "and Sora" he finished, pointing at the brown haired one. I waved shyly, and the boys just grinned, blushing slightly.

"Hey, have you seen Riku? I wanna introduce Naomi and him," Wakka told the boys. They seemed to discuss his whereabouts, but I just looked around the street, thinking everything that happened in the past hour over.

_'How did I get here?_ _Was I on a ship during a storm or something? And, the ship, like, broke so I washed up on shore?'_ I mused.

I must have been in a daze for a while though, because the boys were staring at me oddly. I just shrugged it off, and the boys grinned. "So," Wakka started, "you ready to meet Riku?"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember who Riku was. Though, I soon remembered, and nodded slowly. "Great!" the boys all said in unison. _'Boys,'_ I thought, mentally giggling to myself. _'They're all so weird.'_

* * *

"Ey', Riku!" I heard Wakka call. A boy about Wakka's and my age walked up to us. He had shoulder length, spiky silver hair, and was wearing black shorts and a yellow muscle shirt with blue rimming and a zipper down the front. "Hey, Wakka, Sora, Tidus," Riku called back as he stopped in front of us. 

Riku and Sora punched their fists together in a friendly way. "And who is this?" Riku asked as he turned to me. I was about to open my mouth to say something, but Wakka interrupted by saying, "Naomi. Remember, the girl you saved, ya'?"

Riku smiled at me and said, "I'm glad you're okay, Naomi." I smiled back, but it soon faded as I remembered something. "I need to ask you something," I informed Riku, "It's about when you found me."

Riku and I turned to look at the other boys, and gave them a look that said, _'Could you please go away, now? Because if you don't, we'll be forced to eat your toes off!'_

…Well, okay, it didn't exactly say **_THAT_**, but close enough.

Wakka understood, and started walking away. Though, the other two didn't seems to get the picture, and just stood there. "A'ight kiddies! Time to leave the two alone," Wakka taunted the other two. Sora and Tidus mumbled their goodbyes, and followed Wakka.

"So," Riku said, fidgeting with his hands, "what'd you wanna talk to me about?" I gave him a slight glare. "You know darn well what I wanna talk about, Riku. So, tell me, how, where, and when did you find me?" I asked him, a lot of annoyance in my voice.

Riku sighed. "It's kinda complica-" he started, though I butted in by saying, "I've got time." Riku backed away slightly, and all the anger that he once say in my eyes vanished.

"Sorry," I stated, guilt suddenly hitting me like a brick, "but it's kind of a touchy subject, I guess."

Riku sighed. "I was on a small island just of the coast of Destiny Island. All the kids go there to play, but sometimes I just go to think," Riku started his story. "It started storming, so I walked to the other end of the island to take shelter in this little cave we call _'the secret place'_. Though, along the way, I spotted you. You seemed like you had just washed up on shore, but because of the rain, I couldn't tell."

Riku paused, giving me a moment to let everything sink in. "Go on," I told him quietly. He sighed again.

"I carried you over to the secret place. I waited until the storm was over, then I took you back to Destiny Island in a little boat. A few people helped me after they noticed you, and took you to the hospital. This happened two days ago, so you've been out of it for about two days or more," he finished.

I waited and though over everything that Riku has just said. Riku stared at me with his pale blue eyes. "So, everything you told me was the complete truth, right?" I asked. Riku nodded slowly, and I smiled. "Thank you, Riku," I said, crushing Riku in a big hug.

_'Maybe this island could be a good thing,'_ I thought, closing my eyes.

* * *

Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my new fanfiction! I already have the second chapter done, so I will probably update this in the matter of a few days or so. Reviews are appreciated!

Thank you, and have a nice night!


	2. Wake Up, Lazy!

Second chapter is up. Yey! This one I think is much better than the first one. It's kind of hard to start a story like this, but, it's a bit better in this chapter. Anyways, read and enjoy!

Oh, and this chapter seemed to confuse a few of my friends. Let me tell you now, this chapter takes place during the time that Kingdom Hearts starts at, therefor, Naomi and Riku are 15, and Sora and Kairi are 14. I know, it's a big time skip from the last chapter, but, it would be boring if I wrote everything that happened in between. So...

Also, last thing I have to say. I do not hate Kairi, and I know that Riku seems slightly out of character in this chapter. I was having some strange writers block thing. It wasn't really a block, it was just...whatever I wrote sounded odd. So please forgive me for that.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts, or any of Square Enix or Disney's characters. I do, though, own the rights to my original character, Naomi.

* * *

I lazily opened my eyes, letting the sun that was shining through the palm trees shine in my eyes. I yawned quietly, still not feeling completely awake from the snooze that I had just woken up from. I closed my eyes once more, trying to shut out the sunlight, and sighed. 

I soon felt the subtle shifting of sand beside me. At first, I thought it was only the wind, blowing the sand around. But, I was soon proven wrong when I felt three fingers start to poke my bare stomach.

"Wake up, lazy," I heard a chorus of three people say. I opened one eye, and put on the best glare that I could. The three other teens, Kairi, Sora, and Riku, just laughed at me.

I sat up slowly, pulled down my white collared shirt with black pinstripes so it would cover my stomach. I also fixed my black tie and white petticoat with sheer black cloth over it.

_Yeah, for being at the beach, I dressed like it was winter._

Kairi gasped slightly, then started running her fingers through my hair, trying to get all the knots out of it. I coughed in annoyance.

Kairi and I never had the greatest friendship, if you could even call it that. About a year or so after I appeared, Kairi showed up during a meteor shower.

Let's just say that _'Little Miss Sunshine'_ made a comment on my clothing's color, so I said that I hated bright colors, and she called me a freak. Now normally, when someone called me a freak, I would giggle insanely, and say, "Thank you!" because it is true that I _am _a freak. But, Kairi was so serious and rude about it that I got mad.

We were still friends, but we were just mean to each other. **_A lot._** "So guys. Ready to finish the raft?" Sora asked, becoming more hyper by the second. "Well, we will be when _Lazy_ gets her fat arse up," Riku said, chuckling to himself. I shot him a playful glare.

* * *

"So, Sora," Kairi started to ask, "Did'ya get the stuff we need to finish the raft?" Sora dropped everything on the ground in front of him. 

"One rope?" Kairi asked him.

"Check."

"One piece of cloth?"

"Check."

"Two logs?"

"Check."

"Great!" Riku cheered, "Now all that we need are some supplies for the trip!" Sora groaned. "Don't worry, you bum," I said giggling, "we'll get that stuff tomorrow."

"Hey, who are you calling a bum?" Sora smirked. "'Ey, _Lazy?_" I giggled again, twitching slightly. "The invisible guy behind you," I said sarcastically, "Who do you think I'm calling a bum?"

"I am not a bum!" Sora exclaimed.

"Are too," I said smiling.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are-" I started, but Riku cut me off by saying, "Okay, munchkins, no need to bicker." Kairi giggled at us. "I am not a munchkin," I defended.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not! We're both the same age!" I squealed. Everyone laughed. "You're insane, Neo," Sora told me. Over the years, I earned the nickname Neo. Short for Naomi, I guess.

"Yup! I am insane!" I squealed as we all started walking across the beach. We walked for a while, laughing along the way, then finally reached the paopu tree.

We all sat in silence, looking into the sunset. Sora and Kairi sat on the trunk of the paopu tree, while Riku leaned up against it. I, for one, was hanging upside down off the paopu tree trunk, beside Riku.

"So," Kairi said dreamily, "what d'you think it'll be like, once we set sail?" I blew a strand of hair out of my face. "Do you think there really are other worlds out there?" I asked. "It would be nice if there were," Kairi chimed in.

Everyone sat in silence again. The only noises that we could hear were the sounds of the waves hitting the little island, and the rustling of the paopu leaves in the wind.

"So, say there really are other worlds out there. What would you do there?" Sora asked Riku. "I guess I never really thought about it," he started.

Though, I didn't really pay attention to what Riku was saying. I was too busy concentrating on the train of though that had just stopped at the station in my mind.

_'What if we never make it to another world?'_ I mused. _'What if there aren't even any other worlds , and what we're doing is useless?'_ was the main thought that I was focusing on.

"Hellooo," I heard Kairi squeal. Riku leaned over so he was in front of me, but since I was hanging upside down, well, you get the idea.

"Earth to Naomi. You still on Destiny Islands?" Riku asked me, looking at me strangely. I giggled like the insane girl I am. "Nyup, why you asking?" I replied. "Well," said Riku, "we asked you a question."

"And that question would be?" I asked, grinning sheepishly. Sora sighed, and asked his question again. "What are you gonna do when we find other worlds?" I thought for a moment, before answering, "I'll explore, and see new sights. Maybe I'll even learn a bit about the culture of other worlds."

"Yeah, that's what I wanna do!" Kairi exclaimed, "Along with that, I want to find my real home. My world."

"But Kairi!" I squealed, sitting up and positioning myself so I was sitting upright on the paopu tree.

"This _is_ your real home!" Sora finished for me, "and we're also your family!"

"Same goes to you, Naomi!" Riku told me, "We're your family, and this is your home!" Kairi and I smiled. "Thanks guys," we said in unison. We all looked into the sunset. "Hey guys, it's getting late. We should get our rest," Kairi said, finishing her statement with a yawn.

Everyone got up and started walking away, but I stayed seated on the paopu tree.

"Hey, Sora!" I heard Riku call, "Look at what I found!" Seeing as I was a curios girl, I turned around and watched Riku and Sora.

"What's this?" Sora asked, staring at the star shaped fruit that Riku had just tossed into his hands. "A paopu fruit," Riku replied. "You should know the legend. If you share it with someone you really care for, your destinies will become intertwined."

I giggled as the thought of who Sora would share the fruit with popped into my head. _'Kairi of course, no doubt about it.'_

Sora heard me giggling, so he shot me a glare. I stopped, but still held the smile on my face. I turned back around, and faced the sunset.

"Whatever," I heard Sora mumble behind me. "C'mon," Riku chuckled, "you know you wanna try it."

"Oh, c'mon Sora! Don't be such a…hey, what are you-OW!" Riku yelled. I turned around, and saw Sora running away from the fallen Riku. Apparently, Sora had just thrown the paopu fruit at Riku's face.

"Nice shot, Sora!" I yelled at Sora's retreating back. I ran up to Riku, and stared at his slightly bleeding nose.

"I'll get him for that!" Riku yelled, smirking an evil smirk. He jumped up and got ready to chase Sora, but stopped. "Nah, I'll get back at him tomorrow."

Riku wiped the blood from his nose, and turned around to look at me. "You seem quiet. Normally we can never shut you up!" he exclaimed, laughing slightly. I just giggled madly, and twirled around on one foot, though, falling in the process.

"You really are strange," Riku managed to say between his laughs. "Yup yup!" I squealed while lying sprawled out on the sand.

Okay, as depressing as I looked, I was actually the hyper and insane member of the group. I dressed in all black, put on black make-up, and always wrote dark poetry, but I still acted like a five year old who just discovered candy. Actually, I seem more childish now than I did when I first appeared on the island!

I hopped up off the sand, and sat on the paopu tree. Riku sat beside me, and put his head on my shoulder.

"Tell me a story," he said in a cute baby voice. "Okay!" I squealed, imitating his voice. "Once upon a time, there was a-" I started, but Riku started squealing, "Yay! That was a great story!" I giggled at him.

"So," he said, getting rid of his baby voice, "tomorrow is our last full day here…before we set sail."

He removed his head from my shoulder, so I leaned against him. "What do you think the other worlds are like, if there even are any?" I asked, getting more tired by the second.

I never got to hear his reply, though, because I fell asleep seconds later. Riku smiled down at my sleeping figure, and carried me to the dock.

"Naomi," Riku whispered in my ear, "Naomi, wake up." I shot up, and bonked foreheads with Riku. **"Who shot who in the what now!" **I shrieked, not yet realizing that I was awake.

I looked at Riku, who was sprawled out on the sand. "Ow," he said flatly, twitching as he sat up. "I sowwi," I said innocently. Riku grinned.

"C'mon, we gotta get home, it's getting late," Riku told me. We untied our boats from the dock, and got in them.

As we paddled back to Destiny Island, Riku said, "Look up." I looked up into the starry night sky. "Purdy!" I squealed, admiring the beauty of the stars. Riku chuckled.

As I stared at the sky, a star seemed to have blinked out, almost like a flashlight turning off. _'Neato'_ I thought.

We reached the island, and tied our boats to the dock. Riku turned to me and asked, "Want me to walk you home?" I smiled, and replied, "'Kay."

We linked arms, and walked to my house. "G'night," Riku said as we approached my door. We unlatched our arms, and I poked Riku's nose. "Night."

I watched Riku walk away as I took my house key necklace out from under the collar of my shirt. I pulled the necklace off of my neck, and unlocked my door.

I walked into my house, and tip-toed to my room, trying not to wake my guardians. In my room, I slipped into my night clothes, and got into my bed.

It took me a while to sleep, though, because a thought popped into my head. _'Will anything change after we set sail?'_ I shrugged off the thought, and snuggled against my pillow.

'_Nothing can go wrong…I hope…' _I thought, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Yep, Riku _did_ seem slightly out of character, but only for a bit. Anyways, hope you liked it! I'm going to start writing the third chapter soon, so it should be up in a few days. Maybe less, I'm not sure. I write whenever I have time, and lately I'm not having that much time, so. Sorry, if it takes a while to update. 

'Kay, I'll cut my rambling, and let you all be on your way.

(takes off her hat, and bows) Thank you, and have a nice night!


	3. Five More Minutes

'Ello, 'ello! I just finished writing this chapter. I'm not that happy with it, but as I said in the last chapter, I'm having this weird writer's...thingy. Everything I write turns out crappy. But, I guess I can't complain. This chapter is just a filler; not much action. Though, the next chapter is where the good stuff will start happening. You know, like the appearance of two annoying yet adorable giant talking animals? Yup yup!

Oh, and a little side note. I love gothic lolita outfits, so that why I always design characters who wear that style of clothing. Don't ask why I put that, I guess my friends were just wondering why she dressed so 'oddly' in this chapter. Meep. I don't know. Enjoy the story, anyways!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts, or any of Disney or Square Enix's characters. I do, though, own the rights to my original character, Naomi, and her foster parents.

* * *

**_'Knock! Knock!'_**

I slowly rolled onto my side, and hid my face under my pillow. "Five more minutes," I groaned.

**_'Knock! Knock!'_**

I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. I slid my covers off of my bed, and walked over to the door. "Who's there?" I asked whoever was on the other side of my door.

**_'Knock, knock, knock, knock!'_**

"Huh?" I asked tiredly. I looked to where the source of the sound was coming from; not the door, the window.

"What the?" I yelped, a little bit taken aback from seeing Riku lounging around outside my window.

He knocked on the window once more, signaling that he wanted the window open.

I opened the window, and Riku grinned. "You're a mess," he stated, snickering slightly. I shrugged.

"How'd you get up here, anyways?" I asked, leaning slightly out of the window. I leaned over just enough to see the ladder that Riku was, surprisingly, lounging quite comfortably on.

"Heeeey," I heard a voice whine, "is she up yet?" Riku turned around, and I looked over his shoulder.

Sora and Kairi were sitting on a tree branch of the tree just a few meters away from my house. Kairi smiled when she saw me, and waved. I waved back, trying to return my own happy, but tired looking, smile. _'She seems cheery this morning,'_ I thought gladly.

"Ah, so the lazy one **_is_** awake! Great!" Sora cheered. Riku turned back around to look at me, and said, "We're collecting the supplies that we need for the raft. You comin'?"

"Yup. Just let me get dressed," I said as cheerily as I could. Riku opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice say, "Ey', how's the weather up there, man?"

I leaned out the window again, and stared down at the three people who just arrived. "Yo, Wakka!" I yelled back, trying to imitate Wakka's accent (though, failing miserably). I spit down on the ground, trying not to hit anyone on the face, and said, "The weather isn't that good though! I think it's raining!"

Selphie and Tidus giggled. Wakka smirked up at me, and said, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, _Lazy_. Just get your butt down here, ya'. You, Sora, and Riku owe us all a fight."

"I want a new nickname other than 'Lazy'," I said flatly. Everyone chuckled. "Anyways, Riku, move your hands," I told Riku. Riku removed his hands from my window sill, and asked, "Why?" I slammed the window shut, and smirked. "That's why," I said loudly, making sure that Riku could hear me through the window.

* * *

I walked out of my room, and down my steps, fixing the outfit I had just put on. A little Gothic Lolita dress, with a ruffle-y black petticoat, a black blouse with sheer sleeves and white ribbon, knee-high white socks with black ribbon, and clunky black dress boots. Also, I put on a little headband with a mini top hat on the side of it, and a ruffle-y black choker. 

Overall, the outfit made me look so creepy, that I looked cute. Is that weird? Yes, it is. Well, I'm weird, so I guess it doesn't matter.

"Good morning," I heard my foster mother say. "'Ello, 'ello!" I said cheerily, waving at her. She pointed to a plate of toast on the table, and said, "I saw your friends waiting outside, so I guessed you were going outto see them. You want to take a piece of toast with you before you leave?" I snagged a few pieces of toast, and said, "Yup yup! Thanks, mom. I'll be back before dark!"

I walked outside my door, and looked at everyone. They all seemed to be looking up at my tree, so I looked also. "Come down, Sora! Just climb down the branches!" Tidus called up. Sora seemed to be having trouble getting back down on the ground.

"I never knew that you had a fear of heights," I yelled up to Sora. Everyone looked at me. I guess they hadn't realized that I came outside. "It's not a fear of heights," Sora defended, "It's a fear of falling!"

"Just jump down! Riku will catch you!" I yelled, giggling insanely. Riku gave me a weird look, and spoke, "I think I speak for both me _and_ Sora, but I don't want him jumping down and me having to catch him."

"Just slide down the tree branch, Sora," Kairi said desperately. She and Selphie seemed to be getting bored with this. I guess I couldn't really say that I wasn't getting bored either.

"Fine!" Sora yelled as he hopped off the tree branch, and slid down the tree trunk. We all laughed as he landed on his butt. "Ow," Sora whined, getting up and dusting himself off.

"So," Riku said, "we ready to get the stuff we need?" Wakka smiled, and added, "You better be, 'cause I've been waiting tobeat you three in a duel for a while!"

"So, the plan is that we collect the stuff, then we fight, right?" I asked. Everyone nodded. "Then," I squealed, "let's get going!"

* * *

"Then you tie this end of the wire to the inside of the shell, and you're done!" Kairi squealed. I held up the little necklace that I was making out of thalassa shells. "Perfect!" Kairi squealed again. 

"Here, you can wear mine, and I'll wear yours," Kairi said, exchanging our little necklaces. I slid mine over my head, trying hard not to break the wire holding the shells together, and fixed it so it was over my choker. "Pretty!" I squealed.

_I guess it was one of our friendlier moments, but usually me and Kairi would be cat fighting if we hung out. I mean, really, making thalassa necklaces together? That is not something you see Kairi and I doing everyday. Though, no matter how much we seemed to dislike each other, there was one thing that we, and every other girl on Destiny Islands, could talk about in peace._

"Omigosh!" Kairi squealed. "I saw you and Riku sitting with each other on the paopu tree last night. Did he put his head on your shoulder, or am I imagining things?" _Boys._ "Yep," I replied, "why do you want to know?" Her face lighted up. "He **so **likes you! I know he does!"

"No, we're just really really close friends, nothing more," I defended. "But I just know he likes you! He put his head on your shoulder!" she squealed again. _'My ears are going to start bleeding if she keeps squealing like this,' _I thought, almost painfully. "No, that's just how our friendship is. Putting his head on my shoulder is just a way of saying that we're best friends. A really weird way of saying it, yes, but it's true," I defended again.

"No," Kairi protested, "it's his really weird way of saying 'I love you'. His really strange and demented way of saying 'I love you'." I smiled. "Maybe, but we're still only friends." Kairi smirked, and said, "You know you like him though."

I was about to protest, but I heard the voice of Sora say, "Not Highwind, Excalibur!" I turned my head so I was looking behind my shoulder. "Are they at it again?" I asked out loud. "Looks like it," Kairi said, getting up, "Let's go see."

We got off of the raft, and climbed up the little cliff. After a few minutes of helping each other up,we walked carefully over the rickety bridge, and to where Sora and Riku were standing.

"If I win, uh, I'm captain," Sora stated as me and Kairi reached the two boys. They didn't seem to notice that we were there. "And if you win-"

"I get to share the paopu fruit with Kairi," Riku cut in. Sora seemed confused for a moment. I coughed lightly, grabbing the attention of both the males. Riku smirked, and winked at us, and Sora still seemed to be trying to process what Riku had just said.

"Uuuh…" Kairi started, but I nudged her in the rib with my elbow, "Oh, I'll be judge!" I tried to suppress a giggle. "The usual rules apply. You should know them by now," she finished.

"On your mark, get set, go!" we both squealed in unison. The boys ran off, pushing each other, and trying to get in front of one another.

"Share the paopu with you, eh? Told you he didn't like me," I taunted Kairi lightly. She blushed slightly. I swooned. "My, my, Kairi! You know you like him!" I mocked her. She smiled.

"So, Naomi. How come we never talk like this?" Kairi asked. I looked at her oddly. "You know, we never seemed to talk like friends. How come?" she asked again. I thought over her question.

"I guess we didn't get off at the right start," I replied. "Then, let's start over! I wanna be friends, like we should be," she stated enthusiastically. I held out my hand. "'Ello. I'm Naomi." Kairi held out her hand. "And I'm Kairi." We shook hands. "Nice to meet'cha," we said in unison.

"D'aw. How nice is this? We're all friends now," we heard Riku say. We looked over at the two slightly sweaty boys. "So, who won?" Kairi asked. "Take a guess," Riku said modestly, smirking towards the pantingSora.

"Oh, hey, Sora! Did you find the supplies?" I asked. He tried to catch his breath, then finally said, counting his fingers, "One seagull egg, three mushrooms and fish, two coconuts, and fresh spring water. Yep, I got everything."

"Perfect! Let's go meet up with Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie!" I cheered. We all started walking to the other end of the island.

* * *

"Wow," I said flatly, my mouth seeming to hit the floor. "He did that all on his own," Sora added, his eyes opened as wide as they could get. Sora, Kairi, and I stared at Riku as he finished off his three opponents; Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus. 

"That hurt, ya man?" Wakka asked Tidus as he sat up. "Yeah-Oh! That's gonna leave a bruise," Tidus replied, rubbing a bruise that was forming on his arm. Selphie sat up slowly, and held up her jump rope which seemed to be in two pieces. "Aw, and I thought we would win for sure."

I clapped lightly, and said, "Be proud of yourself Riku. You just beat the crap out of three people at once." Riku smirked at what he had done. "You guys okay?" he asked. "Just peachy," the other three said in unison. I giggled.

"Uh, so I guess I'm not gonna be able to fight you now, am I Wakka?" I asked. He shook his head. "Sorry, Neo, but my _'Blitzball Throwing Arm' _is numb already" he replied slightly sadly. "'Kay. I understand."

"Well, if they can't fight, why don't you guys fight me, instead?" Riku asked. I held my hands up in defense. "Not without Sora. You'll kill me if I fight you alone!" I yelped. Riku laughed, and turned to Sora. "You up for a fight, Sora?"

"Alright," Sora answered, getting up off the ground. We both grabbed our little wooden swords, and walked over to the open area on the beach. "Wait, guys!" we heard Kairi call, "Who should I cheer for?"

I laughed. "Me!" Sora and Riku said in unison. "Er, I think I'll just root for Neo. Um, go Neo!" she chanted, giggling to herself. I got into a fighting stance.

"Go!" Riku called, advancing towards me and Sora. He slashed his sword, and hit Sora and I on the shoulder. I twirled around, and waited until Sora hit Riku, making him fall backward. As soon as Riku fell near me, I whacked him with my sword.

Sora and I ran to the side of the beach, and waited for Riku to get up. "Oh, come on guys. Are you giving up already?" Riku asked as he stood up, and walked slowly towards us. Sora and I jumped forward, getting ready to hit Riku, but he countered our attacks, and knocked us over.

"Every human being for themselves!" I cried out, crawling military style toward Kairi. "So you are giving up. I see," Riku said as he stared at me oddly. Sora took this chance to attack, and hit Riku's side, making him topple over. "Hah! Win!"

Riku stood up, and wiped himself off. "You're getting better Sora. And you Naomi," Riku started, walking up to me so he could tower over me, "you need to work on your skills."

"Gloating gets you nowhere Riku," I said, smirking, "besides, I know that my fighting is terrible." Riku gave me a high five, and cheered, "That's the spirit, Neo!"

Wakka and Selphie walked over, trying to help Tidus stay steady. "Ey, I think we're going to go now, man. We're beat," Wakka said tiredly. "Yeah, we should all get our rest," I chimed in.

"Wow. Our last day here," Riku said dreamily, looking up into the sky. The sky had colors of orange, purple, blue, and red swirling in it. "We're going to miss you guys," Selphie said sadly, hugging Kairi.

I walked up to Wakka, and hugged him tightly. "Yeah, we'll miss you too," I added, "but, we'll come back one day. Promise!" Riku, Sora, and Kairi all held their hands to their hearts, and repeated, "Promise."

"You guys won't forget us, right?" Tidus asked. I pulled away from Wakka. "I know I won't forget you, Wakka. You're the first person I remember ever meeting, and the first friend that I made on the island." Wakka blushed, and whined childishly, "Aw, come on, man. Don't make this all sappy."

Kairi and I hugged Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, and said our proper goodbyes. Sora and Riku stood by and watched us, trying to act like men.

_I guess guys are too manly to hug people. Pfft._

* * *

We all tied our boats to the dock once we reached Destiny Island. Kairi and I hugged Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie one last time before walking away with Sora and Riku. 

I linked my arm with Riku's, and looked at him. "Today, we're just a couple of kids with a big dream. Tomorrow, we're going to be a couple of kids, fulfilling our dream," I said dramatically.

Riku smiled. "Tomorrow may be the greatest day of our lives. Let's make the best of it!" We all cheered along with him.

'_This trip will be like smoothly sailing. Nothing can go wrong, not with all of my best friends,'_ I thought happily.

* * *

Terrible ending for a chapter, I guess, but the chapter itself wasn't that good. Don't worry, the action will start in the next chapter! And it should turn out much better than this chapter did, 'kay?

Get it? Got it? Good.

(tips her hat, and bows) Thank you, and have a nice night!


End file.
